


He Grows on You

by ParanoidGarbage



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Slow Burn, character tags to be updated as fic progresses, not sure yet - Freeform, rating may increase to T
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 02:55:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11371125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParanoidGarbage/pseuds/ParanoidGarbage
Summary: Hazuki Nagisa was a mess, his personality as unruly as his tangled mop of blonde hair. Hazuki Nagisa was a curse upon Rei, an unwanted apparition who seemed to exist only to disturb the peace of Rei’s school life. Hazuki Nagisa was a menace.





	He Grows on You

Rei had made two outstanding observations about Hazuki Nagisa--the first was that whenever Rei encountered Nagisa, the blonde could be seen enjoying some sort of sweet treat, and the second was that he never seemed to stop moving. These two quirks just happened to be rather high up on the list of Ryugazaki Pet Peeves, and the constant motion paired with his nonstop chatter made Nagisa nearly unbearable for Rei to be around. All Rei wanted was to study in peace, which is what made it particularly irritating when a large glob of strawberry jelly dropped onto his notebook and obscured the very formula that Rei was attempting to memorize.

“Oops! Sorry, Rei-chan,” Nagisa giggled and quickly swiped at the jelly with two fingers before promptly licking it off. 

“That’s not sanitary, Hazuki-kun,” Rei grumbled, pushing his glasses roughly up the bridge of his nose, “You should go wash your hands now; they’re going to be sticky.” And, knowing Nagisa, those sticky fingers would be in Rei’s hair or somewhere else on his person in no time.

“Aww, but class is about to start! Don’t you have hand sanitizer in your bag?” Nagisa asked as he bent to snoop through Rei’s book bag. “You seem like the kind of person who really likes to be clean, so you  _ must _ have some, right? Hmm…. oh! Haha, here it is.” Nagisa found the hand sanitizer and flicked the cap open, then proceeded to squirt so much into his hands that the excess dripped down and fell right into Rei’s open book bag. 

“Mmm, Rei-chan, where’d you get this? It smells so good! The ones that my sisters have smell like flowers and stuff and it’s really strong. But this is nice! It’s a very light scent, as expected of Rei-chan! You know, one time I had a bottle that--”

“Hazuki-kun!” Rei snapped, “I did not give you permission to use  _ half _ of my bottle of hand sanitizer, and I do  _ not _ appreciate you so casually damaging my personal belongings. Not only did you spill your jelly on my textbook, but you dripped sanitizer into my bag! Did you not notice?”

Nagisa’s smile faded as Rei lectured him, “Oh...no, I didn’t notice. I’m sorry, let me clean it up for you..” Nagisa’s fluffy head swiveled about as he looked around for a napkin or some paper towels, which was absurd because there was no need for a classroom to have such a thing on-hand.  _ Most _ people were responsible enough not to make messes as silly as Nagisa constantly left in his wake.  _ He’s like a child, _ Rei thought to himself as he watched Nagisa go around to each of their classmates and ask for a napkin from their lunches to clean up Rei’s bag. In the meantime, Rei began pulling his books and things out of the soiled bag and placed them on his desk. Nagisa was soon bouncing back over, clutching a handful of half-napkins that he collected from the rest of the class.

“Okay, this is what I have,” Nagisa declared loudly as he plopped down onto his knees in front of Rei’s bag, “and so I’m going to do my best!” The infuriating blonde began to make an even bigger mess than there was before, much to Rei’s disappointment. How could he create such a situation and then fail to even relieve it?

“Oooh..um..I’m going to get some towels from the bathroom! Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a minute!” Nagisa dashed out of the classroom before Rei could protest. Rei sighed and put his head down on his desk as he waited for Nagisa to return.  _ It’s always like this with him, _ Rei sighed and let his shoulders slump defeatedly forward,  _ He just blows across my path like a hurricane and he ruins everything in his wake. How irritating. _

And that’s exactly what Hazuki Nagisa was--irritating. Hazuki Nagisa was a mess, his personality as unruly as his tangled mop of blonde hair. Hazuki Nagisa was a curse upon Rei, an unwanted apparition who seemed to exist only to disturb the peace of Rei’s school life. 

Hazuki Nagisa was a menace.

Rei’s reflections were interrupted, as said menace had returned carrying a roll of paper towels that was obviously far too large for him to manage. “Rei-chan, look! I passed by the janitor’s cart and found this huge roll! Isn’t this much better than just napkins? Woahh--” 

Rei had begun reacting as soon as he heard Nagisa call out, the smaller boy’s wobbly, unsure movements a clear sign as to what would happen next. In one instant Nagisa was toppling to the ground and in the next he was nestled safely in the crook of Rei’s arm, the large roll of paper towels balanced neatly on the palm of Rei’s hand. Nagisa, who had squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation of the fall, miraculously found himself not on the floor but supported by something sturdy and warm. His eyes flew open to reveal that Rei was staring rather intently down at Nagisa, brows furrowed in concern behind his bright red glasses.

“Hazuki-kun, I hope that you’ll be more careful next time. You have no business carrying something so large; it is obviously far more than someone your size can handle,” he scolded, using his free hand to push his glasses to a more secure spot on his nose before helping Nagisa right himself. Rei set the large roll of paper towels on his desk and tore off a generous portion, offering it to Nagisa as his speech continued, “Not to mention the fact that you stole this off of a janitorial cart. I urge you to hurry in cleaning so that we will have time before the start of class to return this to the gentleman who is surely missing it. I expect you to take responsibility and apologize to him properly, Hazuki-kun.”

“Yes, Rei-chan…” Nagisa sighed as he took the paper towel that Rei tore off for him and dropped to his knees in front of the soiled bag. Luckily, Nagisa made quick work of cleaning after being equipped with the proper supplies. Once the bag was deemed clean by his strict standards, Rei stood and picked up the paper towels, indicating with a jerk of his chin that Nagisa was to lead the way. Nagisa threw him a single glance, his expression containing a complex meaning that Rei could not comprehend, before using the corner of Rei’s desk to pull himself to standing. “He was just outside the classroom, kinda...not far down the hall, at least. I can take the towels back on my own,” Nagisa assures Rei quietly without turning to look at him. 

“Nonsense,” Rei sniffed, “It just wouldn’t do for me to let you go alone; if you fall again, it will be my fault. Now, show me where you found the cart.”

Nagisa led him silently down the hallway, which Rei noted was uncharacteristic of the small blonde, but far from an unwelcome change in his demeanor. However, Nagisa’s usually confident, bouncing stride was slowed to a crawl (which Rei would have interpreted as Nagisa being considerate of the fact that Rei’s speed would be reduced by the load he was carrying, had Nagisa ever before shown any consideration or forethought in his actions in the past) and his shoulders slightly hunched over--this was shame. No _,_ Rei thought, that doesn’t make sense. It must be less than shame, but Nagisa was definitely unhappy. What was it? Had Rei been too harsh in his scolding? Rei ran through their conversation after he caught Nagisa, but found no fault on his own part, as Rei was always precise in his speech and ensured that there were no possible ways to misinterpret his meaning. No, Rei was clear, so something else must have upset his classmate. 

“This is the cart, but the janitor still isn’t back yet…” Nagisa looked around with a frown. Perhaps Nagisa had been nervous about apologizing to the janitor? Rei concluded that to be the only viable explanation for Nagisa’s sudden change in demeanor, and decided to act accordingly.

“Hazuki-kun,” Rei hefted the roll of paper towels back onto the janitorial cart and then placed his hands on Nagisa’s shoulders, leaning down to Nagisa’s eye level, “There is no need to be afraid of admitting fault. Apologizing is the right thing to do, and I’m sure that you won’t be punished after taking responsibility for your actions.”

Nagisa’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Rei, “What are you talking about, Rei-chan? I’ve been yelled at plenty of times, I’m not worried about getting in trouble.”

Oh? Perhaps Nagisa wasn’t upset, as Rei had originally thought, but then what could be causing the drastic change in the older boy’s behavior?

“Our break is almost over,” Nagisa shrugged, “Let’s just leave it here and not worry about it. I don’t really think one paper towel is going to make a difference.”

“Well...perhaps you’re right,” Rei admits with a glance at his wristwatch, “We’ll just have to let this go, then.” Rei firmly pats Nagisa’s shoulder before turning and heading back towards their classroom. Once Rei had made it some ways down the hall, he heard rapid footfalls thumping behind him.

“Waiiiit, Rei-chan!! Don’t leave me behind!” Nagisa shouted as he ran up from behind Rei, wrapping his arms firmly around the waist of the taller boy. The impact caused Rei to stumble forward, reaching out for the wall to help him stay upright. 

“Hazuki-kun!” Rei gasped and adjusted his glasses, which had slid to the very edge of his nose and were in danger of falling off. “Please release me immediately!”

“Awwww, don’t you want a hug, Rei-chan?” Nagisa asked, nuzzling the crown of his head into the center of Rei’s back. It sent a tickle up Rei’s spine, causing him to arch his back with a squeal. 

“S-stop that!”

“Ohoho,” Nagisa giggles evilly, “Is Rei-chan ticklish?” He lets go of Rei’s waist, only to wiggle his fingers teasingly along Rei’s sides--not quite tickling him, but just ghosting his fingertips over Rei’s body to add a serious threat behind his question. 

“No, no, no!” Rei yelps, flailing wildly to block Nagisa’s hands from further torturing him.

“Ouch!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This will slowly progress towards a relationship, I promise!   
> Also available to read on my writing blog, paranoidteenagegarbage.tumblr.com!  
> Want updates on my writing progress? Check out my twitter @OllieDollie23!


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